MEDIA REACTION ELECTION AFTERMATH; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000959 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ELECTION AFTERMATH; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "Who will save us from fellow Africans?" the independent daily "The Daily News" dedicated its April 22 edition to condemning African leaders for supporting the Government of Zimbabwe after fatally flawed March presidential poll. "We really thing their action was not just irresponsible, but must be criminalized (sic) under international law," the editorial thundered. Excerpts: ¶2. ". . .Africa is fast slipping back into what it used to be - a very dark continent - courtesy of its leaders who, although educated, want to base their rule on the feudal system. African leaders seem united by one rotten factor: They are so obsessed with power that, once elected, they quickly put in place mechanisms making it virtually impossible for the people to remove them. That in itself wouldn't be such a bad thing if they weren't so oppressive, repressive and corrupt. The most worrying aspect in Africa's ongoing slide back to its dark past is the emerging pattern among its leaders of rallying to each other's support in complete disregard of the people's will and welfare. It is what the highly principled Senegalese President, Andoulaye Wade, who clearly is an exception to the rule, derisively referred to as 'this trade union of presidents.' "The political crisis in this country has exposed that evil developed for the whole world to see. All truly neutral observers saw last month's presidential election as a gigantic fraud contrived to give victory where it did not belong and so refused to endorse the results. But, incredibly and to their eternal shame, 'the trade union of African presidents,' who must be told in no uncertain terms that they have on their hands the blood of all Zimbabweans being tortured and killed to keep ZANU PF in power, chose to gloss over all the glaring flaws and declared the poll legitimate and the results acceptable. We really think their action was not just irresponsible, but must be criminalized (sic) under international law. . .The question must be asked: Who will save us from the cruelty of our selfish fellow Africans? While there may be no obvious answer to that question, all despotic African leaders can be sure of at least one thing: Those who make peaceful political change impossible make violent revolution inevitable." WHITEHEAD